Reply to Parents: if you could go back to your kid’s freshman year, what would you do differently?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I would have figured out a "narrative" starting freshman year. Have my kid apply for relevant awards. Or I would have hired a college consultant to figure it all out for me.

I wasn't really attuned to the process until summer after junior year, which was way too late in retrospect. My kid had the grades and scores for an Ivy, but was a little short on "wow" ECs. Coming from NYC, you need the wow.[/quote]

Coming from any big city, you need the WOW[/quote]

I know what you mean. I had the same realization when my older kid applied in 2022. We changed our strategy for DC#2.[/quote]

How did you find a narrative that early with your second kid? Given our experience with DC#1, it's hard to imagine doing this with our DC#2.

For us, DC#1's narrative took shape slowly, starting with a few experiences sophomore year, and then evolving over time. In retrospect, lots of missed opportunities - in part because whenever we tried to help DC shape the path or the narrative (or even accept that this was a priority . . . ) things did not go well.

In addition to being independent and not wanting to do things that did not interest them (completely fair!) DC did not actually know what they were interested in up front. It all had to play out, one class, one activity, one experience, one decision at a time. It seemed healthy and good for DC's development, but TBH, not exactly what AO's seem to want these days. (Neither of our kids came out of the womb pointy . . . . )

Anway, by senior year, certain themes emerged, along with a pretty coherent narrative. But there's not a chance in the world we, DC, or a counselor could have mapped it out in advance freshman or sophomore year.

As DC#2 starts high school, it feels similar. Not a lot to work with yet in terms of a potential narrative. Any advice?[/quote]

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